Speith drama provides one of most exciting Open finishes in years

I was riveted to the television for four days last week taking in all the action at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and I must say that golf’s greatest major didn’t disappoint again, with one of the most amazing finishes to the event in years.

This championship has it all, and I suppose like most people, I felt that it was Jordan Speith’s to lose going into Sunday’s final round. He did his very best to do just that for the first twelve holes or so but the turning point was, of course, the 13th hole where he kept a cool head after what can only be described as the wildest tee shot ever seen in professional golf.

Speith’s calmness and knowledge saw him use the rules to his full advantage to claim relief, and as we all know, he got away with a bogey when he was staring a possible seven or eight in the face.

Admittedly, he did get a few lucky breaks on several other holes, which ultimately kept him in it, but his blistering run of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie from the 14th to the 17th simply blew away his nearest rival, Matt Kuchar.

Kuchar did have several chances to press home an advantage when Speith was in a downward spiral but his putter failed him when he needed it most, especially at the 13th, where a very makeable birdie would have given him a two-shot advantage from which Speith may not have recovered, but he failed to hole it and the rest as they say, is history.